Agreed - but you have a place to bunk if you need one.
How long is your average event day
- Thread starter tunes4046
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Agreed - but you have a place to bunk if you need one.
oh yes, and we have used that option to relax when we're all set up and have a couple hours of down time...or one time we drove the 230 miles home from our event and directly to a bridal show where we set up our booth (we had fresh & rested employees come in to work the booth) and napped in the truck until it was time to tear down. It definitely has it's perks...but regular overnights are not it!
Usually, my event days are 24 hours long (coincidentally, my non-event days are similar, though I suspect chicanery) .. occasionally, due to cosmic shifting and imprecise timekeeping, they need to add a few seconds .. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leap_second
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Depends on the drive time, the length of the event, etc.
But let's just say it's usually 10 to 12 hours from the time I leave till I get home.
and that's about 2 to3 hours less now that I have the trailer and don't have to load and unload.
But let's just say it's usually 10 to 12 hours from the time I leave till I get home.
and that's about 2 to3 hours less now that I have the trailer and don't have to load and unload.
Wow, unless you're high end you're all working pretty cheaply (hourly rate) but the time you get paid for 12-14 hour days!
And how come so many forget so much? I have organized to the point I can't forget anything and have a separate backup bag of cables and such so that if I did (or it failed to work) I'd be covered.
I have a tote for lighting - EVERYTHING is in there for the lighting short of the stand and 4-play (it wont' fit).
I have a tote for mixer/power cords/patch cables/mic/headphones.
A case for the amp plus the speakers and stands.
After a gig it all goes back into the totes/cases/bags where it belongs and at home all goes into the same place it came from. If I setup at home (to test something, training, etc) I treat it like a gig - out of the tote and back into that tote. No exceptions.
And how come so many forget so much? I have organized to the point I can't forget anything and have a separate backup bag of cables and such so that if I did (or it failed to work) I'd be covered.
I have a tote for lighting - EVERYTHING is in there for the lighting short of the stand and 4-play (it wont' fit).
I have a tote for mixer/power cords/patch cables/mic/headphones.
A case for the amp plus the speakers and stands.
After a gig it all goes back into the totes/cases/bags where it belongs and at home all goes into the same place it came from. If I setup at home (to test something, training, etc) I treat it like a gig - out of the tote and back into that tote. No exceptions.
I'll take a $1,000+ wedding that takes up 14 to 15 hours of my total time any day over working any other job I've ever had in my life.
...If the wedding only pays me $500 or $600 and it was booked through the agency...well, I look at the logistics, and estimate my total time commitment before accepting those clients. I have only accepted one of those clients this year, and it was on Easter Weekend which is a dead weekend. The further away from $1,000 the gig is, the further from 14 hours of my time I need to estimate the gig, and it's not often I come across a gig I think I can get away with just 8 or 9 hours total time invested in on it. I just bid on a gig masters wedding client lead at a venue that is only 9 miles from my house for next year. The bid was below $1,000 as it's a 4 hour reception, and I think I can do the gig with no more than 10 hours invested in it. However, seeing that it's a GM client, my chances of booking it are low, but sometimes they want me over the $375 to $500 guys.
Say I'm booked 5pm-10pm I leave @2:30pm arrive around 3ish set up sound check, etc 30 minutes teardown/load up home by 10:45/11 so 8-1/2-9 maybe an extra 45 minutes if i'm on the beach
I always try to get there early early early. Video definitely adds to setup and system check times with way more gear than a sound only event. I count the day of a gig as a full bust as I meticulously load my truck from the garage in the AM in slow time (relax mode). I always do checklists to avoid forgetting stuff. I putter and press my shirts - always have spillage spare as well as pants etc. I really hate venues that don't give you enough time in advance to setup - cideries are bad for that as they like to stay open to the very last minute before closing their halls for setup etc. 12 noon is probably typical. It is not uncommon for me to leave at noon and get back by 2 AM...
Then you have to add the prep hours during the week if you need to get obscure music lists and the client meet times plus site Recces...
Then you have to add the prep hours during the week if you need to get obscure music lists and the client meet times plus site Recces...
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